Small town living, big city living, and anything in between...?

[Cheryl J]

Without naming locations of course, what do you like/dislike about where you live? I'll start.

What I like:

1. I'm out in the middle of nowhere.

2. It's 3 miles from one end of town to the other. We now have a few more signal lights, though.

3. I went to high school with the same guys who take care of my car, heating and A/C, plumbing, and trust them implicitly.

4. There are many places to explore within an hour's drive...lakes, mountains, and desert.

5. It's BBQ weather all year round.

What I don't care for:

1. See #1 above.

2. It's 100 miles to the nearest city, so Costco and Trader Joe's are a get-up-early-and-get-home-late trip.

3. The heat is brutal in the summer...110 degrees plus in the shade.

4. We only have 2 grocery stores here.

5. I can't get away with a disguise of a baseball cap and sunglasses with sweats and no shower when running into the grocery store real quick...BOUND to see someone I know.

6. The. Freaking. Wind. Gosh, it can get windy here.

I'm sure I can think of more....

Anyone else want to share your likes and dislikes?

 

[Cheryl J]

Meant to mention...a friend came by a couple of days ago and we ended up talking about this random subject....

 

[Kaneohegirlinaz]

okay

what I like about where we live now:

it's in the middle of the desert

we're pretty centrally located to the major Interstates, we can go 6 hour by car to San Diego, 6 hours by plan to the East Coast and best yet, a 6 hour flight to HAWAII!!!

our handyman (we're not that handy) is a gem, 8 times out of 10, he doesn't charge us

it's SOOOOOOO quiet, peaceful and beautiful

what I'm not a fan of where we live now:

our backyard is a wildlife highway, AAAHHH, yesterday a pack of coyotes hung out in the shade of out big tree ALL AFTERNOON

it's in the middle of the FREAKING desert

the nearest grocery store is 5+ miles away, no dashing out just for a 1/2 gallon of milk, that's for sure

you'd better be prepared, the whether can turn on a dime and you may be stuck, but I've gotten use to that, I knew the job was dangerous when I took it

 

[Aunt Bea]

I live in a city of about 144,000 people, like so many cities in the northeast it is down from it's peak of 220,000 people in the 1950's.

For me it is a comfortable place to live, sort of like an old sweater or pair of sneakers with a hole in the toe. I'm located in a "crack" between an old very wealthy section of the city and a poor declining section. The location is handy to everything and yet still quiet. Everything I need is within walking distance. When I use the car I rarely go more than 5 miles from home to find what I'm looking for. We are a university city so we have many of the advantages and disadvantages that come with that. I like the distinct change of seasons, including the long cold winters that come with it. In less than half an hour, by car, I can be out in the country near where I grew up and enjoy the advantages that the country life has to offer.

 

[Rocklobster]

Small town dweller, here..

I love the city. It's a nice place to visit and a nice place to leave.

I use the barter system with numerous service and tradesmen.
I don't mind my neighbors knowing my business. They are handy to have as friends, keep an eye out for your place when you are gone, tell you can borrow anything you want, just go help yourself if they're not home..
Have a burn barrel and can burn brush and other stuff .
Bon fires anytime.
When my kids were young they could go anywhere in the village. Everybody knew them and which house they lived in so we basically all looked out for each other kids
You can let your grass get a bit long and nobody will complain, or one of your neighbors may swing by and cut it for you...you do the same for them..
Head down the the general store and run into some buddies, grab some beer and not go home for a couple of hours(ok, that one can get you in a bit of trouble)
Your dog can run free for a bit and nobody will freak out..

 

[Aunt Bea]

Small town dweller, here..

I love the city. It's a nice place to visit and a nice place to leave.

I use the barter system with numerous service and tradesmen.
I don't mind my neighbors knowing my business. They are handy to have as friends, keep an eye out for your place when you are gone, tell you can borrow anything you want, just go help yourself if they're not home..
Have a burn barrel and can burn brush and other stuff .
Bon fires anytime.
When my kids were young they could go anywhere in the village. Everybody knew them and which house they lived in so we basically all looked out for each other kids
You can let your grass get a bit long and nobody will complain, or one of your neighbors may swing by and cut it for you...you do the same for them..
Head down the the general store and run into some buddies, grab some beer and not go home for a couple of hours(ok, that one can get you in a bit of trouble)
Your dog can run free for a bit and nobody will freak out..

You are lucky if you can still have a burn barrel, sure beats a paper shredder!!!

We had one when I was a kid, an old fifty gallon drum with a wire mesh grate on the top. It was a major milestone when you were old enough to be trusted to take the wastebasket out and burn the trash!!!

 

[Rocklobster]

You are lucky if you can still have a burn barrel, sure beats a paper shredder!!!

We had one when I was a kid, an old fifty gallon drum with a wire mesh grate on the top. It was a major milestone when you were old enough to be trusted to take the wastebasket out and burn the trash!!!

For the top of my barrel, I used an old metal round patio table top with a bunch of holes drilled through it...recycle and reuse...They have gotten a bit stricter with backyard fires. Most people have big lots so if they aren't near any buildings or trees and don't get too big nobody will complain..

 

[Aunt Bea]

For the top of my barrel, I used an old metal round patio table top with a bunch of holes drilled through it...recycle and reuse...They have gotten a bit stricter with backyard fires. Most people have big lots so if they aren't near any buildings or trees and don't get too big nobody will complain..

Same in this part of the world, when the new people complain that they are illegal you tell them that yours is grandfathered in!

 

[Addie]

I live in a section of Boston that is cut off from the main part of the city. No matter what route you take you have to go over water. At one time this section was originally five separate islands. The land between the islands have been filled in connecting all the islands. There used to be an immigration clearing house down on the waterfront. They finally tore it down a few years back. Just up the street was the ferry to get the new immigrants to the North End where their relatives were waiting for them.

This section was at one time mainly Jews. Then the Irish. John Kennedy's father was born here, and the Italians followed them. No building goes to waste here. The old Jewish Temple has long since been recycled more than one or two times. But the Jewish cemetery is meticulously cared for. Today it is mostly Latino's who reside here. But not for long. You are 10 minutes from downtown Boston via rail transit. We have three full service stations in this section. The Yuppies are discovering this jewel. New condos are going up right on the waterfront. So the prices on real estate are skyrocketing out of the pockets of the middle class. The rents are beginning to come within range of competing with New York City. Fortunately, in Boston, for every new expensive building that goes up, so many apartments have to be for Section 8 or middle income families. And there has to be parking for one car for each unit.

We are in the flux of change. Some for the good and some not. Little by little they are tearing my childhood down.

 

[creative]

I live in the outerskirts of London, i.e. not too congested.

What I like about it:
- where I am is well situated transport wise for easily accessing various nearby towns. I tend to frequent charity shops so an upmarket area reflects in what is donated!
- there are some good/quality shops, e.g. artisan bakery, Waitrose, M & S etc
- quiet, pretty backstreets to either cycle or walk down to get to places, i.e. avoiding traffic.
- low crime area
- some large car boot sales

What I dislike about it:
- not much to do locally for my kinds of interests (e.g. spiritually focused).
- the population locally tends to be a bit on the old side. Although I am in that age group (well, getting there), I tend to have more in common with a younger, more lively age group.

 

[roadfix]

I live and work in a city of one billion (seems like). I don't like the traffic and the sirens. If I didn't own my small business here I would have packed out of this chit hole decades ago. A small, quiet mountain community would be nice. And I don't mind being an hour away from the amenities of big box stores, health care, etc...

 

[Kayelle]

Thanks for starting this most interesting thread Cheryl!

The SousChef and I live in what we call our little piece of paradise.

We're in a town of 20,000 surrounded by citrus and avocado orchards. It's called The Heritage Valley. We have a little airport a mile away for small planes that only can fly in the day time. Makes SC a happy camper for sure, as we sit on our pretty front porch watching the airplanes (when he's not flying one) and the beautiful 2,000 ft. mountain as a backdrop. We have one supermarket, a great Mexican market, and two big drug stores. It's only a pretty half hour drive to the coast and beautiful uncrowded beaches, Trader Joes and Costco. It's never too hot or too cold here.
I'm happy to say, there's nothing we don't like here. I have lived in this county all my long life. This is the first time the SC has lived "out in the country" and he loves it too.

 

[roadfix]

^^^ K, you live in beautiful country there, The Heritage Valley.
Actually, it's just about an hour's worth of driving from where I live. I've bicycled through that part of the county numerous times.

 

[Kayelle]

^^^ K, you live in beautiful country there, The Heritage Valley.
Actually, it's just about an hour's worth of driving from where I live. I've bicycled through that part of the county numerous times.

Next time you're around here, give us a holler RF! You're welcome on our porch anytime!

 

[Steve Kroll]

I live in an apartment at the moment and hate it most of the time. it's a basement unit, which means no balcony. There isn't much of an outdoor area to enjoy, either.

That said, there are some good qualities. Mall of America and Twin Cities Outlet Mall are a stone's throw. I'm not much of a shopper, but it's convenient when I need to. There are also about a dozen grocery stores within 5 miles, including Hispanic, Asian, and Indian specialty grocers. Parks are in abundance, and I have three sets of good friends that live in the area as well.

It's not an ideal situation, and I can't wait until my lease is up, but it works for now.

 

[roadfix]

Thanks K, that's a very inviting porch! Very cool...

 

[roadfix]

On a positive note, one thing I like about where I live (Echo Park) is that since hipsters have taken over the community the property values have skyrocketed. They've been buying up old homes and businesses in the area and doing complete renovations on them. It's turned into a complete different culture here. And there are pockets of these changes taking place in many parts of L.A.

 

[Dawgluver]

I like:

Living out of town, in a lovely wooded area with plenty of wildlife. And a subdivision pool.
Close proximity to a medium-smallish town, and 35-45 minutes away from a few medium-size cities, one of which has a Costco.
Access to the mighty Mississippi.

I don't like:

The gnats, mosquitoes, and ticks that are a part of country life here.
Very cold, windy winters and hot, muggy, buggy summers.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

I'm with you on that muggy buggy stuff, Dawg. Since Himself got Lyme disease I've been paranoid about ticks ever since. Thankfully, he's had no long-term effect since it was caught right away.

**********************************
Our son is a city mouse, our daughter a country mouse. We prefer the spaces between, so I guess you could call us suburb mice.

Current house is in a town of just over 11,000. Our previous home was in a suburb of about 32,000, but in spite of its larger size it seemed cozier. Except for the original owners of the houses on our street (because most of us were transplants from somewhere else and we HAD to bond), most people right by us are indifferent to forming neighborhood friendships.

What I really like up here:
- Cheaper grocery prices than "back home". I'll miss that whenif we move.
- If we want to head to a shore, we can get to the coast of CT in about an hour. Even though it's about the same distance, traffic makes getting to the east coast of MA a longer trip.
- Real mountains are about a 3-4 hour trip up to parts of VT or NH.

What I don't like:
- We're too far from our kids.
- I wish our neighbors with the barking dogs would move. Or train their dogs.
- Our current house in in a town of just over 11,000. Our last home was in a suburb of 32,000. In spite of that, the area we live in now just doesn't seem as cozy as the old digs did.
- More often than not, people can be stand-offish up here. If you smile at strangers, most of them act like you have two heads. I liked it better when you could make a new best friend by the time you checked out of a long grocery line!
- Driving up here! The roads are narrow, winding, and unmarked. The drivers are all in a hurry and will stop at nothing to be first in line. One of these day's I'm afraid I'll get shot, though. When I pull up to a red light and the car on my left is the one who went through all sorts of antics to get ahead of me, I just glance their way and smile. Got a lot further, eh buddy?

 

[sparrowgrass]

I am about 70 miles south of St Louis, just outside a small town, in a county with NO stoplights and no 4 lane highways.

I love the area, love my little house on my little hill, love my gardens, love the weather. Lots of wildlife and birds, hills and valleys, two lane roads that swoop and curve. I am never moving again. They will be carrying me out of this house.

I hate winter, and I am very happy that they are usually mild here. I do miss having a good grocery store--one in town is grimy and they allow smoking in the deli in the front of the store (!!) and the other is a Sav-a-lot, with limited selections. I also hate the fact that my kids and grandkids are not close enough.